College Considerations (Asynchronous Session)
Listening to Faculty’s Voices in A Collaborative Peer-Supported Review and Observation of Teaching in Higher Education: A Pilot Project at A University in South America View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Helen Hendaria Kamandhari
To ensure as well as to improve the quality of learning and teaching, higher education institutions normally conduct assessment and evaluation of their learning and teaching practices each semester. Several assessment and evaluation practices, one of which is collaborative peer review and observation of the teaching faculty, have been utilized to gain an overall picture of how educational institutions have best served their students. Using the approaches from Gosling (2014) and Bovill (2011) modified to meet our institutional needs, the Collaborative Peer-Supported Review and Observation of Teaching (CP-SROT) at the ‘X’ University which was initially planned to start fully fledged was shifted to a pilot project with the following objectives in mind (Connelly, 2008, p. 411): 1) to develop and test the adequacy of the research instruments; 2) to assess the feasibility of a full study; 3) to design and test the protocols; and 4) to collect preliminary data. The pilot project involved six full-time faculty members of the ‘X’ University observing in total eighteen selected faculty members within the two phases. The selection of the observed faculty members was based on their Teaching Grade Point Averages (TGPAs) from the combined past semesters. The CP-SROT pilot project when fully implemented is expected to eventually provide more complete and balanced perspectives of the teaching and learning processes from the four perspectives: the students, the higher education administrators, the upper management, and ultimately, the faculty members themselves.
Picture This: Examining Students’ Professional Decision-making Through Collaborative Drawing View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Tracey Bowen
Internships provide opportunities for students to transfer skills from the classroom to the workplace and “try-on” their professional persona. The value of those experiences is more fully realized however when students reflect, analyze, and rethink their actions, particularly within a group of their peers. Rich Pictures (RP), a form of collaborative drawing, is a mediating tool to facilitate reflection and dialogue within small groups. Collaborative drawing can help students analyze work placement challenges, the ways in which they meet those challenges, and provide an opportunity to talk to each other about becoming a professional. RPs were used in two fourth year internship seminars (n=48) to facilitate student dialogue about their experiences, and to explore the potential of collaborative drawing as a tool for reflection and discussion about professional challenges and dilemmas. The students drew figures or “actors” that play distinct roles in relation to potential workplace dilemmas provided by the instructor. Collaboratively, they drew possible responses to a problem situation and interactions they predict might occur. Students also wrote short reflections about what they learned about themselves from the RP process. The RP data provided insight into the students’ experiments with professional decision-making that challenged their ethical positioning and sense of autonomy. The RPs and reflections also offered insight into new strategies for integrating reflection with active discussion and collaborative problem solving. The use of RPs as a form of collaborative role-playing through drawing can help to further students’ learning and self-awareness as emerging professionals within a work-integrated learning program.
Making a Difference With Underprepared College Students: How to Help
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Randall Woodard, Jessica Mabry
An overwhelming number of college professors report frustration with the difficulties associated with students who do not seem to be properly prepared for college life and academic success (Sanoff, 2006). Not only do professors struggle with the academic challenges of unprepared students, universities have been dealing with the negative outcomes of dismal retention rates, increased amounts of remedial instruction needed, poor writing skills, lack of study habits, and wildly low graduation rates (Gabriel, 2006). This study is for those interested in making a difference with students who are at risk. Using research from faculty and student services, the session will include a focus on practices that all instructors can implement to make an immediate difference in student success and university wide retention. Participants will be able to return to their schools equipped with strategies aimed at reversing these negative trends.
Making the Grade: Post-Secondary Students' Attitudes Towards Traditional Assessment Models View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marsha Barber
This is one of the first Canadian studies to explore student’s attitudes towards grading. Specifically it uses Likert scales and written responses to measure and assess whether a cohort of undergraduate university students value Pass/Fail grading systems above traditional numerical grades. This research question has resonance in the age of COVID-19 when many students are receiving Pass/Fail grades by default. Findings suggest that students have a strong preference for traditional grading. This is however tempered by the finding that students value written and oral feedback highly, especially as a way to contextualize traditional grades. The study should be of use to those who assess grading systems, including faculty and administrators. It also offers new data to researchers interested in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL).
Learning to Be Present: The Effectiveness of Teaching Mindfulness for College Students Raised in Foster Care View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lori Gray
This study assessed the effects of a four-week classroom mindfulness module on perceived stress, mindfulness, and sleep quality among college students from foster care. Thirty-five foster care alumni enrolled at a 4-year university (n=16 experimental, n=19 control). Participants were assigned to one of two freshman seminars in Fall 2016. Using a cross-over study design, participants were assessed three times: pretest; first follow-up (after section 1 received the intervention) and second follow-up (after section 2 received the intervention). Post-intervention focus groups were conducted with each section. The intervention resulted in significant short-term reductions in perceived stress and sleep problems. Focus group results reveal additional insights on how interventions can be tailored to the needs of this population. Brief mindfulness intervention offers promise for college students with histories in foster care. Because so many of these young adults have experienced varying degrees of trauma, it is also critical to pay attention and make support services available if students struggle with any negative memories, as well as any unpleasant thoughts, emotions, and sensations that may surface during mindfulness practice. At the core of mindfulness practice is the idea that one stays present to all content and experience without judgment and this includes experiences that may be received as positive, negative, or neutral. Mindfulness interventions taught to individuals with a history of trauma give particular emphasis to building a felt sense of safety (imagined or felt) and affirming choice of participation, in part (where to focus attention) or whole (when to stop the practice).
Building a Foundation of Trust for Effective Student-led Peer Review/Critique View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Liv Cummins, William Porter, Lisa Spitz, Kimberly Lowe, Summer Clark
Since 2016, our cross-disciplinary faculty research team has investigated the effectiveness of student-led peer-review/critique in the undergraduate college classroom. We identified pedagogical methods for building an effective environment for undergraduates to engage in this practice and developed a protocol designed to aid faculty across disciplines in implementing effective peer-review/critique in their college classrooms. Prior research demonstrates that peer review/critique has multiple metacognitive, social/emotional, and professional benefits for learners, but faculty find it challenging to promote meaningful student engagement in the process. Our research is situated within the field of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and is interdisciplinary. We implemented our protocol with Literature, History, Creative Writing, Design, Animation, and Education students. We assessed our intervention utilizing methods from education action research and mixed methods of data collection and analysis. We hypothesized that developing a community of trust was a crucial pre-condition for learners to engage effectively in peer-review/critique. We tested this hypothesis through pre- and post-surveys of student perceptions, artifact analysis, and analysis of qualitative field notes. Our findings suggest that building student buy-in in the peer review process before engaging in peer review activities strengthens learning outcomes and enhances students’ collaborative and metacognitive skills. We conclude that a necessary first step for effective peer review/critique in the classroom should be a series of learning activities designed to increase student trust in the process.
